Over the past few years, many Fellows and staff at the
Wisconsin Department of Health Services (DHS) have been working to put together
the Healthiest Wisconsin 2020 Baseline and Health Disparities Report.
The report serves both as a baseline report for Healthiest Wisconsin (HW) 2020, Wisconsin's state health plan, and as a report on health disparities in Wisconsin. Users can orient themselves
to this large report by reviewing the text on the web page and the Executive
Summary.

The report is organized into health focus areas, an
infrastructure focus area focusing on access to high-quality health services,
and data summaries by population. The health focus areas include:

Alcohol and other drug use

Chronic disease prevention and management

Communicable disease prevention and control

Environmental and occupational health

Healthy growth and development

Injury and violence

Mental health

Nutrition

Oral health

Physical activity

Reproductive and sexual health

Tobacco use and exposure

The data summaries by population highlight demographic and
socioeconomic data for each population and emphasizes health risk behaviors and
outcomes where that population experiences disparities compared to other groups.
The populations highlighted in this report include:

Blacks/African Americans

American Indians

Asians

Hispanics/Latinos

Lower socioeconomic status populations

People with disabilities

Lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender populations

Geography (rural, suburban, urban)

Fellows worked on many pieces of the report including
writing SAS codes, running data, analyzing data, putting together the
PowerPoint, and writing some of the chapters, editing, and evaluation. It was
truly a team effort with over 60 contributors. The current and former Fellows
that have contributed to this important report include Akbar Husain, Anneke
Mohr, Erica LeCounte, Christina Hanna, Carly Hood, Lindsay Menard, Melissa
Olson, Kelli Stader, and e.shor.

This report is unique is that it brings together a rich set
of data on a diverse range of populations. Within the Wisconsin Division of Public
Health, program areas have epidemiologists that collect, analyze, and present
data specific to that area. For example, the HIV Program has staff members who collect and compile data and publish reports on HIV in Wisconsin. There is no one epidemiologist that is charged to compile data about racial and ethnic populations,
LGBT people, and other marginalized communities and the health disparities that
these communities face. A large number of people stepped out of their usual
responsibilities to help put this report together. Another unique aspect of
this report is that it highlights communities that are often left behind and do
not get enough attention, especially given the extreme health disparities in
Wisconsin. All of these factors make it incredibly important to get this report
out to people working on these issues and working in these communities. If you
think of someone who could benefit from the information in this report please
send them the link and do your part in getting the word out!